In a disappointing game a stoppage time strike from Danish winger Dennis Rommedahl was enough to prevent Palace improving their points tally.

Iain Dowie had the luxury of naming an unchanged team from the game at St Mary's as Ben Watson recovered from a slight knock. Wayne Andrews was once again included amongst the substitutes and hoping to make his Palace debut.

In the first few minutes Palace swept forward and a Joonas Kolkka cross was cleared just off Andrew Johnson's head by Charlton Athletic defender Jonathan Fortune. A few minutes later Kolkka again found himself in space but this time his deep cross was easily dealt with.

There was a scare for Palace after 11 minutes as a lofted ball found its way through to Matt Holland in the area but Fit Hall put in a fantastic block to win the ball back. Charlton were having the majority of possession and in the 14^th minute Jonatan Johansson headed a chance straight at Gabor Kiraly in the Palace goal after the ball was headed back into the area after a clearance.

The Addicks were forced into a change in the 18^th minute as Johansson limped off to be replaced by Danish international winger Dennis Rommedahl. The change did not seem to affect Charlton who broke after a Palace attack with Bulgarian Radostin Kishishev firing a long range shot wide.

Charlton had a great chance to take the lead in the 23^rd minute as Jerome Thomas wriggled his way past Wayne Routledge and crossed a superb ball that Holland headed inches wide from the penalty spot.

The home team started to get into the game after half an hour and they threw cross after cross into the Charlton box in an attempt to create a clearcut chance.

The game was lacking any space in the midfield but in the 43^rd minute Palace nearly took the lead through Aki Riihilahti. Ben Watson found Kolkka on the left and the Finnish international skipped past Talal El Karkouri and sent an inch perfect cross into the box for Riihilahti to run onto. Unfortunately Riihilahti's header thundered against the bar after the Finn had headed the ball down into the ground.

As the half drew to a close Watson was booked for a foul on Thomas and the Charlton player then forced Kiraly into a save at his near post.

The second-half started as scrappily as the first-half and it took until the 52^nd minute for either team to have an attempt at goal. When it came Tony Popovic hit an optimistic volley well over the bar from 40 yards.

The game suddenly came to life in the 56^th minute as Palace won a penalty. Watson sent Johnson running through the middle and Palace's leading scorer was sent flying by Talal El Karkouri. The Moroccan international was booked for the foul but Johnson was unable to punish the Addicks further as Dean Kiely made a fantastic save low to his left to deny Palace from the spot.

Palace were having the better chances and after 66 minutes Joonas Kolkka forced Kiely into another save when he cut inside and fired in a low shot. Two minutes later Johnson received the ball 40 yards out  and ran into the six-yard box but just before he unleashed a shot El Karkouri got a foot in the way.

Apart from a Rommedahl drive in the 70^th minute Kiraly was relatively untroubled but Palace could not carve out any good chances themselves.

In a bid to add some life to the game both managers made substitutions in the 76^th minute with Vassilis Lakis replacing Kolkka and Francis Jeffers coming on for Shaun Bartlett.

Johnson had a half chance to score in the 81^st minute as a long ball over the top nearly caught out Kiely but the Charlton keeper recovered to stop the striker's shot from an acute angle but as the minutes ticked away chances were few and far between.

Late in the game Iain Dowie changed things around as he replaced Riihilahti, who had just been booked, with Dougie Freedman. The Scot joined Johnson up front in a bid to win the game in the dying minutes and the plan very nearly paid off as Routledge's cross was nearly diverted into his own net by a Charlton defender.

Palace pushed forward for a winner but it was Charlton who would win the game with nearly the last kick of the game. Danny Murphy squared the ball to Rommedahl on the right and the Danish winger, who had been anonymous since his introduction after 18 minutes, stepped inside Danny Granville before unleashing an unstoppable drive from the edge of the area that flew past Kiraly.

It was the second game in a row at home that Palace had lost to a late goal and the disappointment was plain to see on the faces of the players as they entered the tunnel just second after Rommedahl's winner.

Palace: Kiraly; Boyce, Hall, Popovic, Granville; Routledge, Watson, Riihilahti (Freedman 86), Hughes, Kolkka (Lakis 76); Johnson.

Subs not used: Speroni, Leigertwood, Andrews.

Booked: Watson, Riihilahti.

Charlton Athletic: Kiely; Young, Fortune, El Karkouri, Hreidarsson; Kishishev, Holland, Murphy, Thomas; Johansson (Rommedahl 18), Bartlett (Jeffers 76).

Subs not used: Andersen, Euell, Konchesky.

Booked: Murphy, El Karkouri.

Ref: M Messias.